“When California was wild, it was one sweet bee garden throughout its entire length, north and south, and all the way across from the snowy Sierra to the ocean.” ~John Muir, “The Bee Pastures”

Welcome to the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association, founded in 1873, to foster the interest of bee culture and beekeeping within Los Angeles County. Our primary purpose is the care and welfare of the honeybee. Our group membership is composed of commercial and small scale beekeepers, bee hobbyists, and bee enthusiasts. So whether you came upon our site by design or just 'happened' to find us - we're glad you're here! Our club and this website are dedicated to educating our members and the general public. We support honeybee research, and adhering to best management practices for the keeping of bees.

Dear Mr. Steese and Members of the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association,

My name is Sandra Bustos, I am research assistant at PesticideResearch Institute and we are working with beekeepers from around thecountry to look at some of the effects of pesticides on beehivehealth. At the moment, we are looking at the immediate effects thatpesticides may have on beehives, and are trying to understand if thereare particular crops that pose higher risks for exposure. We arerequesting that you help us by distributing a survey onpesticide-related bill kills to beekeepers in your association andbeyond.

This survey was developed by beekeepers to gather information thatwill be used by the US EPA Pesticide Program Dialog Committee (PPDC),Pollinator Protection Workgroup. The overarching goal is to determinewhether specific crops pose greater or lesser hazards to bees. Thiswill help the Committee provide recommendations to the EPA to betterprotect honey bees from pesticides. Most of the questions focus onacute bee kills caused by high doses of pesticides, includinginsecticides, fungicides and herbicides. When deciding whatconstitutes an acute bee kill please consider only events in whichyour bees were exposed to high levels of pesticides, and died soonthereafter. One question at the end asks about hive dwindling and/orloss over time that might be related to pesticide exposure. You, as abeekeeper, have valuable experience working with your bees that willhelp provide on-the-ground information to improve pesticide regulationto protect pollinators. We are grateful for your participation in thissurvey.

We will accept survey submissions through the end of May but encouragethat you submit survey as soon as possible. Additionally, we want toemphasize that surveys from all beekeepers, regardless of whether thebeekeeper has experienced pesticide-related bee kills will be veryhelpful. The areas in which bees are safe from pesticides areimportant to identify as well. The information you provide isanonymous and will be grouped with other beekeepers' data, so you willnot specifically be identified. If you would like a copy of the surveyresults, there is a box at the end of the survey to enter your emailaddress. This information will be removed prior to submission of thedata to US EPA.